A San Rafael summer isn’t complete without the annual Italian Street Painting Festival. Talented artists from all over the world gather to create beautiful chalk pieces. I love being there at the beginning and seeing little pieces of street come to life. I hope you enjoy some of my favorites.
(This is just 3 hours in)
(Artists gathering under the sun)
(Love the colors here)
(Incredible)
(Amy always delivers, she is truly talented. Photo credit- Amy M.)
I love, love, love bright colors. They scream happy and artistic to me which says a lot about the people in a certain area. I saw so many interesting colors that I wanted to share because everyone could use a little extra happy on hump day. I found most of these places while biking around. I love beautiful street art whether it comes in painted or architecture form. It’s all eye candy to me. (The above was in Amsterdam)
(Tulips EVERYWHERE in Holland <3. These were wooden souvenirs but I thought they were gorgeous)
(Denmark)
(London)
(Soft ice in Copenhagen)
(This is one of my favorites from Copenhagen)
(Copenhagen)
(Love, love, loved the colors of Denmark)
I hope these colors added a little happy to your day!
Sorry for the Ryan Gosling Berlin update but you can only imagine my excitement when I rounded the corner not knowing where I was and saw that sweet face looking back at me. Anyway, the weather has been all over the place here in Berlin but I’ve managed to bike, walk, and train around all over the city. It’s a very interesting city and one that very much reminds me of San Francisco.
(The nightlife is a huge part of Berlin’s culture as well as art. This was made solely out of masking tape)
Happy Monday!
After snapping some photos of Chels on the swings, we swapped places and she took some awesome shots. We took turns swinging and rolling the sand to take the photos and had so much fun producing these photos. It’s funny to be ‘posing’ while swinging because although they are static shots, you are constantly moving. In a sense, you never know what you’re going to get. A lot like Forest Gump’s definition of a box of chocolates.
(Floating)
Check back tomorrow for some awesome bloopers for these past two shoots. You know these weren’t easy and we definitely have some great photos to prove it 🙂
I recently saw a fashion photo with a swing and it got me inspired to do our own take on it. It was easy enough to find some swing sets but it was much more of a challenge to find the most interesting angles and flowing skirts that didn’t reveal too much. Chelsea had this beautiful outfit and idea that sheer skirts would flow nicely so we threw on some outfits and headed over to the park. It was a very hot day but we giggled the entire way through this shoot. Playing on swings was so much fun and we ended up sweaty and out of breath by the end. I love our time hanging out and working on the blog together, I couldn’t ask for a better partner in crime!!
(The sky is never the limit)
(This is one of my favorites. She is so elegant and graceful)
We hope you all had a great weekend!
Christmas in San Francisco is definitely a beautiful sight! The city is lit up even more than usual and the trees are decorated perfectly. This year a group of us decided to check out the 2 story tall Gingerbread House located in the lobby of the Fairmont Hotel in Nob Hill. It was truly something to be seen and smelled!
(7,500 pieces of gingerbread brick lined the walls, it smelled delicious!)
(Layers of icing, marshmallows, and sprinkles held the house together)
(A nutcracker chilled behind the glass and gummy stars lined the walls)
(While I would like to live in this house, I think I would have a permanent stomach ache if I did)
(A tiny mock village was made ENTIRELY of icing and candy! The little penguins were too cute!)
(A huge Christmas tree sat next to the house. The ornaments were so beautiful, we couldn’t resist taking a photo!)
(A little side area was reserved for children to watch movies and write letters to Santa so of course we decided to play)
(Everyone was peeking at Connie’s wish list. “I would like a boat please. More specifically, I would like a yacht!” A girl can dream, can’t she?)
Visiting the Fairmont lobby was a really fun way to spend a crisp Winter night with friends. We walked across the street afterwards to have a Christmas cocktail at the Top of the Mark and spent the evening watching the twinkling city from 13 stories up.
One thing you can always count on about San Francisco is the chilly Winters. Sometimes the weather is in between freezing and on-the-verge-of-being-nice which is why we always have a beanie on hand! We snapped some shots on our lunch break displaying all the different kinds of beanies we love to wear.
(the slouchy beanie is one of our favorites, it is pretty trendy in this city)
(I love this beanie on Brittany! She always reminds me of Waldo in it, a prettier Waldo of course. Beanie: Sessions brand)
(I picked up this slouchy one in Chinatown for $5- they have some sweet deals)
(I am borrowing this beanie for my trip to Paris since it covers your ears!)
(This one resembles a beret, I grabbed it at Anthropologie a few years ago)
(the slouchy black beanie is a definite classic. Beanie: Free People)
(This is one of Britt’s floral beanies, she has a bunch. They are really cute and cozy! Beanie: Target)
It would be hard for us to get through this crisp Winter without our favorite accessory. It not only keeps you warm, it adds a little color and flare to any outfit. We personally think that you can never have enough!
One of the greatest things about California is that we have mission’s in some of the most beautiful cities. I have been to a handful and most recently visited the Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa for the first time. It was a small mission but very beautiful- just like the rest. One of my goal’s is to visit all 21 of the missions in California someday!
(As stated above, this is the fifth mission of twenty-one. There is so much history in each of them, I love to think about what the people were like when they were first occupied)
(The grounds are not very ornate but the doors are heavy and bold)
(While these photos make the room appear dark, it is dimly lit by electric chandeliers)
(The outer grounds has beautiful foliage as well as this fountain where children and bears live in unity)
(I fell in love with the garden that has an old well and gorgeous plants)
(Grape vines lined the trellis’ above us as we walked through the garden)
(A detailed list of those who have served on the grounds resides in the garden)
I enjoyed walking through the mission and can’t wait to see more while I reside in California!
In honor of this year’s Dia de Los Muertos we wanted to show some spirit and take part in the fashion side of it. Anyone who knows me can tell you that I jump at the chance to play dress up and express myself in that fun way. I also love art so much, Frida Kahlo is a favorite painter of mine because you can see the pain in her pieces; she doesn’t hide from it. Dia de Los Muertos mixes art and pain in one celebratory day. Death is often feared and not talked about but it is nice to see a culture celebrate those they have lost. It reminds me to cherish the people in my life and live with passion because one day we will be gone.
(I started my look with face paint I grabbed from the drugstore. I later added rhinestones while the paint was still wet)
(My floral skeleton attire was completed by a wreath I made earlier in the day, a white dress tucked into a bright orange skirt, and Brittany’s riding boots)
(A close up of the makeup and rhinestones)
It is a pretty simple look to pull off and I think the flower wreath lightens the somber mood a bit. We hope you had a great holiday and celebrated with those you love.
Lately we have been inspired by cool trendy nail art and we thought to ourselves, “that looks easy and cute, let’s do it!” So we did. Well, that was just stupid. But anyway, come on! Let’s show you how to do the same nail art at home!!
(This isn’t ours, not even close. Just some of the inspiration we were building from)
(First Britt started with white nails and started to paint thin black strips as lashes on her nail)
(The end result was…interesting. But she wore them like this for a couple of days anyway)
(This happened. While we were painting our nails, this guy was break dancing in the courtyard area. He provided the relief we needed from a frustrating nail painting experience)
(I started with this pretty shimmery silver that I should have left alone. Instead I thought painting my nail golden sparkly with a black cat eye slit down the middle would be better)
(Then to top it off I put a silver line down the middle… The end result was horrific)
All in all, leave the nail art to the professionals although we don’t know who that is. Because really, you did this yourself…really?
(Oooh, but this is soooo cute and looks easy enough, we will have to try it!)
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